Therianthropes

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Therianthropes are representations of people with animal features who are experiencing trance.

These features include hoofs, antelope heads, and tusks and so on. Moreover, human beings are also depicted combined with a range of creatures such as elephants, baboons, antelopes and birds.

Antelope therianthropes probably reflect a shaman’s relationship with the animal from which he derives his potency and after which medicine songs are named. A man may be said to possess eland potency, elephant potency or gemsbok potency. A man possessing eland potency would see what the eland saw and therefore know their whereabouts.